Chief Crisis

The Chief Crisis was a conflict from 546-547 where each of the Draconian Village Chiefs staged a war against each other and the Grand Wizard in hopes of overthrowing the Grand Wizard and taking his title. It is considered the most deadly coup in Totanian history.

Causes

Grand Wizard Salasar Feaphed by Jarhed

All of the Draconian Chiefs in 546 were students from one of two classes in the Magic College, either the Class of 520 or the Class of 522. They all witnessed the end of the Grand Wizard Struggle, and had also witnessed the 62nd Grand Wizard, Drixodal Vortrin, slaughter all but one of the students in the Class of 521, then taking his own life in grief.
They all had varying views on the Grand Wizard position after that, some of them hating it, some of them dismissing it. Yet by 546, all of them had come to one conclusion. To fix things, they needed to take the position of Grand Wizard for themselves.

The War

In the final months of 546, each village took interns from the Magic College second, third, and fourth years. This was at first considered harmless, until a declaration of war was sent. The forces of the alchemical village of Tamd were the first, building a giant birdcage around Zephys with Rharked the Rogue's Structure Magic.

Yernok Caerxan by Jarhed

Ealla and Yirthum, however, started out immediately attacking each other. Ealla was pushed back, and Yirthum took only minor losses in the initial skirmish. Chief Yernok Caerxan of Waire found that he had been trapped by vampires and was unable to leave. He took this opportunity to train his forces.
Meanwhile, Evity was surrounded by an unstoppable flame and overrun with beasts. It took Chief Onkesh Tazwunak a long time to find that the perpetrator of this was none other than the Devil Regular, one of his own soldiers who was actually working against him.

Family in Crisis

It was Bortan, though, that was in the most trouble. While their Chief, Ikkul Ravofarn, had lofty goals, he was pushed back by his predecessor, Fepar Tilrak. Fepar and his Army of the Revolution arrived to stop Ikkul from overthrowing Salasar, as well as to stop Ikkul from corrupting Fepar's son Nalrik Tilrak any further.
Ikkul had taken Nalrik in once Fepar was branded the most wanted man in the world, and had since refused to give him back to his father and instead betrayed Fepar whenever he could to keep Nalrik. Ikkul considered Nalrik his own son at that point, and believed Fepar would be a bad influence on the boy. Now, this paternal conflict that had stretched for seventeen of Nalrik's nineteen years had an entire war behind it, and two of the most powerful Draconians were very willing to fight that war for their son.

Ikkul Ravofarn by Jarhed

This ultimately led to many deaths on the side of Bortan, with Fepar even going so far as to (some say accidentally) kill Nalrik's friend and upperclassman, the Korvian known as Rider. The final result was a duel between Ikkul and Fepar, with Nalrik fighting for Ikkul against his biological father. Fepar revealed in that moment to Nalrik why he did what he did, what he had seen the World Court do, and why they needed to be stopped. Ikkul argued in favor of the World Court's interference, saying they were a necessary evil to help protect his family.
At the end of the fight, Ikkul used his most powerful spell. A devastating explosion that began with a simple trigger: Ikkul stabbing himself in the chest with his own spear. Uttering the name of the spell, Ikkul did what is to this day the most destructive spell used in battle. An explosion that would, if not contained, destroy the entire southern half of Elone. Tsar Bomba.

Fepar Tilrak by Jarhed

The spell, however, did not effect those that Ikkul felt love for. It was, after all, fueled by that love. So he knew Nalrik would be safe, even if he was directly next to Ikkul. What he did not expect was that Fepar, the man who had been like a father to Ikkul, also was a result of that effect. The explosion did not harm Fepar, and he called forth a member of his Army of the Revolution to contain it with Earth Magic. And this unknown person did just that.
The Tsar Bomba did not help Ikkul in any way. The most it did was destroy half of Bortan before being contained, and the wound that had caused it then killed Ikkul. In that moment, Nalrik Tilrak gained an immense power from his grief, enough to overwhelm Fepar, even if just for a moment. The two then had a conversation, which ended with Nalrik, the new Chief of Bortan, coming to a decision to end the war.

The Other Sides

The Tilrak/Ravofarn familial dispute was only a minor part of a large war, and while it was major in shaping what would come later in the war, there were still many other fronts that were untouched by them.

Kicad Bavul by Jarhed

The most major of these was Yirthum, a front led by Kicad Bavul. Kicad fought against the forces of Ealla quite often, and even hoarded magical items to give himself the advantage in battle. Kicad was a front-runner for winning the war, and this was only exemplified when his forces attacked Ealla head-on.
Kicad Bavul was present in Ealla for the battle, though the only major role he played in the battle was defeating Eallan Chief Tarthekar Padorim in a one-on-one battle. It was not his actions that contributed to that battle being one of the most major points in the war, but instead his orders.
It was Vodron Susk who was mostly responsible for the destruction of Ealla that surrounded Kicad's duel with Tarthekar, as half of the village was wiped out in what became known as the Eallan Massacre. To other Draconian villages, Vodron Susk became known as a Hero, but to Eallans and the rest of the world, he was believed a monster and a war criminal. He did, however, manage to recruit the Devil Mastema, who was with Ealla, to Yirthum's side.

Vodron Susk by Jarhed

The only one of Yirthum's soldiers that stayed behind was Jargar Eltan, a Draconian that was supposed to keep Yirthum safe. Instead, he met up with his friend Nalrik Tilrak, who was at that point Chief of Bortan, and was convinced to join his side to stop the war.

Outside of Zephys

Evity and Waire had clashed at around the same time, but due to a Korvian Ability they were sent hurtling to Zephys. Here, the Chiefs met up, and were convinced by Tarthekar Padorim to team up and fight Salasar Feaphed together. Once they defeated him, Tarthekar proposed, they would fight amongst themselves to determine the next Grand Wizard.
Meanwhile, one of the two Chiefs not present at that meeting was Nalrik Tilrak, who had instead met up with his Class at the Magic College, the Class of 549. They were all on different sides of the war, and some (Vodron Susk and Mastema) had even killed other classmates. Nalrik proposed that they work together to end the war, but Vodron was instead in favor of working to support Kicad's claim to become Grand Wizard.

Nalrik Tilrak by Jarhed

The two men fought, and Vodron nearly came out on top, but the fight was swayed when Nalrik's classmates joined the battle as his allies and helped defeat Vodron. Then, together, the Class of 549 worked to end the war.
Nalrik's plan backfired, as he and his forces had no choice but to surrender before the combined power of all of the Chiefs. It was only when Salasar Feaphed's intern, Orlayas Ojeux, intervened, did the Chiefs listen to reason and not kill the students. Instead, they agreed to a duel between all of them and the Grand Wizard, Salasar Feaphed, where the students would watch.

Inside of Zephys

What was less known about were the goings on inside of Zephys during the war. The Tamd forces had placed a birdcage around it, and then infiltrated. It was only thanks to the efforts of the Magic College Class of 550 that the invasion was stopped.
The Commanders of Tamd were defeated mostly by students of the Class of 550. The Commanders, and the people that defeated them, are listed in the table below.

Participants

The Chief Crisis had innumerable participants of various races and allegiances, with so many sides that they each need to be laid out individually.

Grand Wizard Faction

First is the supporters of the Grand Wizard, mostly made up of Magic College students, professors, and residents of the city of Zephys where the Grand Wizard lives. Leading this faction was Grand Wizard Salasar Feaphed.
Important members of this faction include:

• The Magic College Class of 550
• Salasar Feaphed's Pupils
• Orlayas Ojeux, intern of the Grand Wizard
• Bortan turn-coats Deltesh and Coldrid Saxan
• The Village of Dembar and its Chief, Otikul Nurdesh

Bortan

Bortan was the stand-out participant from the beginning for its belligerent and powerful Chief, Ikkul Ravofarn. He was the frontrunner to win, but died towards the end of the war before the final battle. He was replaced by his son, Nalrik Tilrak.
Under Nalrik, Bortan stopped challenging the Grand Wizard, and instead supported Salasar and tried to end the war peacefully.

Important members of this faction include:

• Imvis, wielder of Galkan's Pen
• Rider the Korvian
• Cofle Riverriver, the Human user of Prediction Magic

Tamd

Tamd sieged the city of Zephys, attacking the Grand Wizard directly. They had one of the largest and most successful times in the war, but were betrayed by many of their members. They were led by Chief Ilxar Nimphonker.

Important members of this faction include:

• Rharked the Rogue, the user of Structure Magic
• The Professor, a prominent alchemist and drug lord
• Zasagur, a Half-Orc alchemist
• Pretender, a Korvian who could shape shift

Yirthum

Yirthum was an Elven puppet village that, for this war, slightly went against orders and acted independently. It was led by Chief Kicad Bavul, and was the most active participant in combat during the war.

Important members of this faction include:

• Commander Farcorin, head of the Yirthum Elven Guard
• Vodron Susk, user of Luck Magic
• Jargar Eltan, a Draconian noble
• Stranger, a Devil who was sent by the Humans to help

Evity

The village of forbidden magic and necromancy, Evity was secluded for most of the war. In the end, though, they did the most damage to Salasar Feaphed. They were led by Chief Onkesh Tazwunak, who summoned armies of corpses to support him.
Important members of this faction include:

• The Devils Silentium and Laughter
• Nereid and user of Soul Magic Caddos Damolnath
• Regular, a Devil that betrayed Evity and halted its progress in the war

Ealla

The Bard Village, Ealla suffered the most heavy of casualties in the war, especially when it came to interns and notable members, as most villages attacked Ealla first. It was only when Chief Tarthekar Padorim proposed an alliance between everyone that he was safe.
Important members of this faction include:

• Ummum of the Abandoned Monsters, a Crocution tribal leader
• Mastema, a Devil stock trader who eventually betrayed Ealla for Yirthum, he is the son of Profit, Mastema was the only notable survivor of the Ealla forces
• Relda Bigeye, a Goblin and daughter of famed Monion Biggz
• Older, a Korvian whose ability allowed him to age people, was captured as a POW and is still in chains

Waire

The wooded village of Waire, hidden in the Elven Forest. Waire was also trapped by the vampiric Dresmorlin Cobath for much of the war, but eventually Chief Yernok Caerxan helped get them out at the cost of his own arm.
Important members of this faction include:

• Sinner, a Korvian who was given the title of Chief after Yernok's death as a joke
• Cozall Redfury, the user of Art Magic
• Kindle, a Fire Jinn

Outside Interference

There were many third parties that interfered in the war, some of which even taking sides. However, these particular ones were independent before entering, and stayed independent afterwards.

• Ram Rodraz, Head Priest of the Church of Athena and Chosen of Athena due to being the wearer of the Cross of Athena
• Die Punchforce
• Kin Glorev, supposed Head Priest of God of Justice Phrixus
• Dresmorlin Cobath
• The Army of the Revolution, including Fepar Tilrak, his wife Ildid Tilrak, and the mind mage Ordoth Mardaar.
• The World Court, who many believe were pulling the strings behind the Chief Crisis in general

Commander	Student
Pretender, a Kenku who can shape shift into anyone	Lorakaen Darelor, a shy Half-Elf healer
Grygram Cunkuck, the trust fund child of Schmeelon Cunkuck	Finethir Shinebright, a Half-Elf with a split-personality
Fastir Nimphonker, the wife of Chief Ilxar Nimphonker	Dresser and Prayer, a duo of two Kenku with average abilities
Wilben Dodri, A Gnome	Sengred Dilosz, A Dark Elf
Zasagur, a Half-Orc alchemist	Shatt Gunn, a Half-Orc Ace
Veambind Feldastel, a weak Draconian man who burns himself with his own magic	Murphy Law, a slightly rebelious follower of the Church of Athena
The Professor, a famous alchemist and drug dealer with a hidden identity	Oraakil Mardaar, son of Draconian warrior Ordoth Mardaar
Rharked Monion, Hobgoblin user of Structure Magic	Ogonn Ha, the mutated Jinn War Machine

To better understand what happened in each fight, check the Key.
The two major fights in this mix were the fight between Shatt Gunn and Zasagur, and the clash of Rharked and Ogonn.

Shatt Gunn by genuinetrickster

Shatt Gunn's fight took place at the center of Zephys, where Zasagur had set up gallows and was ready to hang Shatt's mother Shatlita Gunn and best friend Gak. Zasagur had used his place in the war to strike back at a grudge against the Gunn family, and Shatt was his main target.
Shatt did not want anyone he loved to die, and unlike the usual sweet way he acted, Shatt grew enraged. He fought Zasagur, who was believed to be a brilliant strategist, and in the end, came out on top and saved Shatlita and Gak. Witnesses reported that it was terrifying seeing the Half-Orc (or as they called him, Orc) do that, and due to the notoriety it gained, it was immortalized as a major battle of the war, called the Battle of the Gallow.
The other major battle was the one between Rharked Monion and Ogonn. Rharked was the one who created the birdcage around the city, and was responsible for all of the suffering the citizens had undergone due to that.

Ogonn Ha by RovaRed

Ogonn, was not going to let Rharked get away with this, and fought him in a battle atop Upper Zephys. This was a tough battle, only won when Ogonn discovered Rharked's weakness. This was all thanks to his roommate Ha Kyung, who flew in after being defeated by Tamd Chief Ilxar Nimphonker.
Thanks to Ha Kyung, Ogonn was able to see that Rharked's reaction speed was not very fast, and was able to beat him through pure overwhelming speed. After defeating and killing him, though, Ogonn found that he had not taken down the cage. So Ogonn flew up to the top of the cage, and readied his fist. Holding it high in the air, Ogonn broke through the cage, freeing Zephys. Due to this being the ending of his fight with Rharked, the battle became known as the Battle of the Birdcage, and Ogonn was hailed as a hero.
However, the fight was not over for the Class of 550. They had to finish Ha Kyung's failed fight and take out Chief Ilxar Nimphonker. They all gathered up, the ones that had defeated the commanders as well as another student named Kathleen Ramone, to fight Ilxar Nimphonker.
Sadly, the first year students were no match for a Chief, and Ilxar Nimphonker beat them with ease, then joining up with the rest of the Chiefs to fight Salasar Feaphed for the title of Grand Wizard.

Ilxar Nimphonker by Jarhed

Tarthekar Padorim by Jarhed

The Battle of the Chiefs

The final battle of the Chief Crisis was between Salasar Feaphed and five of the current seven Chiefs (Nalrik Tilrak and Otikul Nurdesh did not participate). The plan for the Chiefs was to fight together and use all of the advantages they had gained individually to overwhelm Salasar as a unit.
What actually happened was that each Chief went individually, each one too selfish to allow even the possibility for someone to take their achievement and glory. Thus, it ended up being each Chief weakening Salasar for the next one.
First up was Tarthekar Padorim, Chief of Ealla, who attacked with as much dark magic as he could use at once to create a giant suit of armor around himself. Salasar broke through this in a moment and killed Tarthekar.
Next was Onkesh Tazwunak, Chief of Evity, who raised a very powerful corpse to fight for him. The first Grand Wizard, Kilprax Ildial, was the pawn Onkesh used to fight against Salasar, and he did. Salasar only managed to survive that because Kilprax regained his will and put a stop to his own rampage, resulting in Onkesh being killed as well.
Yernok Caerxan, Chief of Waire, was next, summoning the mighty World Tree of Yggdrasil to heal himself up to keep fighting, but this was for naught, and he died faster than most.
Kicad Bavul, Chief of Yirthum, fought after Yernok, using a magical item called the Uniter to gain the powers of his own subordinates to fight with. He did well in the fight, but the power was too much for him to handle, and Salasar put him out of his misery before his body gave out.
Finally, Ilxar Nimphonker stepped up. He revealed a plan that he had been preparing for a long time, intending to use Dragon Eggs Salasar had given the Chiefs against him. He plotted out the exact time they would hatch, and had orchestrated the Chiefs meeting in that moment so he could use the baby Dragons.

Otikul Nurdesh by Jarhed

In that moment, Salasar laughed, and revealed that the eggs were fakes. In a desparate attempt, Ilxar attempted to use the drug burnout to boost his own magical power. But it was too late. Salasar defeated him, and the negative effects left Ilxar without access to his magic. The boost was temporary, and in his final moments, he cursed out Salasar as the Grand Wizard put an end to the alchemist Chief.

Result

The end result of the Chief Crisis was a replacement of the Chiefs, and a much stronger opinion of Salasar Feaphed. After witnessing his might in taking care of the other Chiefs, public opinion of Salasar grew, as he was considered a worthy Grand Wizard.
Most Chiefs were replaced with the only one to stay being Otikul Nurdesh, Chief of Dembar, who never provoked Salasar. The other replacements were:

• Nalrik Tilrak- Chief of Bortan, replacement for Ikkul Ravofarn
• Jargar Eltan- Chief of Yirthum, replacement for Kicad Bavul
• Higar Vixik- Chief of Tamd, replacement for Ilxar Nimphoner, went by the alias of the Professor
• Coldrid Saxan- Chief of Evity, replacement for Onkesh Tazwunak
• Vardid Liloryas- Chief of Ealla, replacement for Tarthekar Padorim, a Professor at the Magic College
• Sinner- Chief of Waire, replacement for Yernok Caerxan, a Kenku appointed as a joke because Yernok had no Draconian successor in mind

These are the current Chiefs, who have taken over since the Crisis ended, and are looking to rebuild Draconian territory back to its former glory.
It is difficult to say exactly how this will effect the world, as only five months have passed since it ended. Historians have studied patterns of major events in the past like this and have a vague idea that some people may be inspired by what happened in the Chief Crisis, but have optimistically denied this being something that would happen in the near future.

Casualties

The casualty rate for the war was insane, and can best be described by looking at the death rate of the various soldiers for each village, as well as the soldiers of the Grand Wizard (the students of 550 and some other classes, as well as the Magic College Professors).

Onkesh Tazwunak by Jarhed

The list from highest to lowest death rates of soldiers is as follows:

1. Ealla
2. Yirthum
3. Bortan
4. Tamd
5. Waire
6. Evity
7. Dembar
8. Grand Wizard

The village of Dembar did not participate in the war, but was attacked once. The Grand Wizard forces suffered minimal casualties, and is disputed to have, perhaps, not even lost a singular soldier. The civilians of Zephys, however, did suffer.
Evity's ranking in the casualties is considered incorrect, but numbers for living soldiers in Evity is so low that, when looking at how many living soldiers in Evity died, the number is minuscule compared to most other villages. Instead, the necromancer village simply lost many of their reanimated corpses. Taking the corpses into account, Evity would be at 3rd in the ranking.

Imvis by Jarhed

In Art

The Chief Crisis has not had too much time to breath, but that has not stopped some art being made of it. Most notably, Cozall Redfury painted a piece known as "Salasar's Last Supper, featuring all of the Chiefs and Fepar Tilrak sitting with Salasar Feaphed at a table, with most of them ready to betray him.
On top of this, a book chronicling some events has been written by an author going by the name of Bartharn. He was in Dembar for the war, and has collected accounts from anyone willing to talk. This book was for a short period of time the the best record of what happened, and is called "The Draconian Fracture."
However, Imvis Valhana ultimately released a book titled All Around the Birdcage that featured first hand accounts from himself as well as various people he interviewed during and after the war.